Short Form

Lifting a load: Aerobics is helping sometimes suspicious elderly people in Diepsloot to deal with mental illness in their families and community.

Gogos step up for peace of mind

Depression among the elderly is largely overlooked, but exercise can help to counter it.
Man scans his fingerprint to receive medication.

mhealth’s power & pitfalls: An SMS a day keeps teens alive

This clinic used monthly SMSes to remind HIV-positive teens to collect their pills until one day... Take a look at the power and pitfalls of mhealth.
A medical scientist at the NICD prepares listeria samples for DNA sampling.

Listeria outbreak over: Your polony is safe, now meet the scientists you can thank

SA's listeria epidemic is over. Take a look at the detectives who traced the epidemic's source in this feature from our archives.
Tens of thousands of men crisscross Zimbabwe as long-haul truck drivers and the risks they face aren't just on the road.

Go inside the trucker craze fuelling a blackmarket in dangerous ‘sex enhancers’

The products themselves could be dangerous and are likely to encourage high-risk sexual behaviour.
Economic hardship means many health facilities are denying women access to free maternal healthcare.

Long queues tell Zimbabwe’s story of economic crisis and failing healthcare

Many people can no longer afford hospital treatment and medication, and the number of those with medical aid has fallen by a third.
Helping hand: Hauwa Ojeifo owns an organisation that helps to support women facing mental health issues.

Could you WhatsApp your way to better mental health?

A dearth of mental health professionals is leading some people to get creative about counselling.

#QuarantineChronicles: The pen

This South African has been quarantined for weeks. He doesn’t mind spending time alone, but these days he finds himself more and more puzzled by people, their habits, and strangely their attitude towards pens.
If you’re bearing the pain of a new ’do

Five good reasons to ditch chemical hair relaxers this December

Black women, beware: your pursuit of straight, silky locks may be detrimental to your health.
The community of Mbyo

‘My neighbour murdered nearly all of my family, but now we are friends’

Thanks to a pioneering project survivors and perpetrators of the Rwandan genocide now live side by side in 'reconciliation villages'.
Health worker Jackline Atieno has vaccinated more babies under the age of one year since the Masogo Health Centre started sending SMS reminders to parents and caregivers.

Paying for change? Trial offers cash to parents willing to vaccinate babies

Researchers have shown that monetary incentives lead to infants being immunised on time.

Dying for a souvlaki: How climate change fuels inequality

This July, Greek islands were far from idyllic. In fact, people working in the tourism industry there say it was hell. With raging wildfires and surging temperatures, the effects of climate change are hitting home.
Cotlands offers a fantasy classroom to children where they can express themselves and develop their imagination.

#AIDS2016: Children’s hospice becomes place of hope in the era of HIV treatment

ARVs have transformed Cotlands hospice from a place for the dying into a childcare centre where the living thrive.
Impressed: Researcher Ché Makanjee is counselled before his HIV test at Charlotte Maxeke hospital.

Private sector lags in HIV testing

Government facilities are trumping their larnier colleagues in providing HIV services.
The paramedics don’t care about us. If we mention that the person has overdosed they won’t come, they won’t help us, especially if you are black.

#SliceofLife: ‘She made a joke out of my friend’s death’

When Mark died, emergency services left his body on the pavement in central Pretoria for hours.
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder is a condition so severe it was classified in 2013 as a mood disorder in psychology's diagnostic bible.

When it’s not just PMS: Could your period be affecting your mental health?

Science could be closer to unravelling the riddle of menstruation-related mood disorders
Men

Violence, pregnant teenagers and booze at De Aar’s end of the world

Alcohol abuse breeds apathy and joblessness, and fuels abuse in an ever more vicious cycle.